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Karen Radner

Assyria was one of the most influential kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction sketches the history of Assyria from city state to empire, from the ...
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Assyria was one of the most influential kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction sketches the history of Assyria from city state to empire, from the early 2nd millennium bc to the end of the 7th century bc. Since the archaeological rediscovery of Assyria in the mid-19th century, its cities have been excavated extensively in present-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Israel, with further sites in Iran, Lebanon, and Jordan providing important information. The Assyrian Empire was one of the most geographically vast, socially diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic states of the early first millennium bc. After a brief introduction the book explores the geography and the history of Ancient Assyria. It continues by examining the lives not only of some of its key rulers, but also the lives of some typical citizens, and slaves too, are selected. In this way the culture and diverse ways of life of those who lived in the empire are vividly brought to life.Less

Amanda H. Podany

The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction describes a momentous time in human history and explains why the ancient Near East is known as the ‘cradle of civilization’. ...
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The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction describes a momentous time in human history and explains why the ancient Near East is known as the ‘cradle of civilization’. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature. The three thousand years of this era — from around 3500 bce, with the founding of the first Mesopotamian cities, to the conquest of the Near East by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 bce — represent a period of incredible innovation, from the invention of the wheel to early achievements in astronomy, law, and diplomacy.Less

John Blair

The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction covers the era from the emergence of the earliest English settlements around the year ad 450 to the Norman victory in 1066 ...
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The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction covers the era from the emergence of the earliest English settlements around the year ad 450 to the Norman victory in 1066 providing a brief introduction to the political, social, religious, and cultural history of Anglo-Saxon Britain. The Anglo-Saxon age lasted for 600 years. This period encompassed an age that shaped England's landscape and culture in profound and long-lasting ways. Anglo-Saxon Britain was a fragmented, non-urban, warrior society: a multi-ethnic community. This gradually changed over time as the early medieval cultures united to give shape to the Britain that was to come.Less

Trevor Bryce

Babylonia: A Very Short Introduction takes us on a journey of more than 2,000 years across the history and civilization of ancient Babylonia, from the emergence of its chief ...
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Babylonia: A Very Short Introduction takes us on a journey of more than 2,000 years across the history and civilization of ancient Babylonia, from the emergence of its chief city, Babylon, as a village on the Euphrates in the 3rd millennium bc through phases of triumph, decline, and resurgence until its royal capital faded into obscurity in the Roman imperial era. Exploring key historical events as well as the day-to-day life of an ancient Babylonian—including the great Hammurabic, Kassite, and Nebuchadnezzar’s Neo-Babylonian empires as well as the periods of Persian and Macedonian rule under Alexander the Great—it provides a comprehensive guide to one of history’s most profound civilizations.Less

Barry Cunliffe

The Celts: A Very Short Introduction seeks to reveal the true nature of the Celts. Were they savage and bloodthirsty, or civilized and peaceable? The Celts have long been a ...
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The Celts: A Very Short Introduction seeks to reveal the true nature of the Celts. Were they savage and bloodthirsty, or civilized and peaceable? The Celts have long been a subject of enormous fascination, speculation, and misunderstanding. From the ancient Romans to the present day, their real character has been obscured by a tangled web of preconceived ideas and stereotypes. This VSI aims to show what the Celts were really like, exploring subjects such as trade, migration, and the evolution of Celtic traditions. Along the way, it exposes how society's needs have shaped our visions of the Celts, and examines such colourful characters as St Patrick, Cú Chulainn, and Boudica.Less

Christopher Tyerman

The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction examines this topic by bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between ...
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The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction examines this topic by bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between past and present. Crusading fervour gripped Europe for over 200 years, creating one of the most extraordinary, vivid episodes in world history. The legacy of the ideas and imagery of the Crusades has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. Despite their powerful hold on our imaginations, our knowledge of them remains obscured and distorted by time. Were the Crusaders motivated by spiritual rewards, or by greed? Were the Crusades an experiment in European colonialism, or a manifestation of religious love? How were they organized and founded?Less

Barry Cunliffe

The Druids: A Very Short Introduction sets out to answer the questions: Who were the Druids? What do we know about them? Do they still exist today? The Druids first came into ...
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The Druids: A Very Short Introduction sets out to answer the questions: Who were the Druids? What do we know about them? Do they still exist today? The Druids first came into focus in Western Europe — Gaul, Britain, and Ireland — in the 2nd century bc. This VSI examines the origins of the Druids and the evidence for their beliefs and practices, asking what can and cannot be known about them. It considers why the nature of the Druid caste changed quite dramatically over time, and how successive generations have interpreted the phenomenon in very different ways.Less

Paul Langford

Eighteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction spans the period from the aftermath of the Revolution of 1688 to Pitt the Younger's defeat in his attempts at ...
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Eighteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction spans the period from the aftermath of the Revolution of 1688 to Pitt the Younger's defeat in his attempts at parliamentary reform and considers the growing security and maturity of the British polity and the development of an industrial economy. Britain overcame challenges by foreign powers, and military setbacks to find itself in a strong imperial and mercantile position by 1789. Although the social problems of economic change and the failure to reform the political system remained issues, the rising middle class and the ruling aristocracy worked together to provide stability.Less

Michael Howard

The First World War: A Very Short Introduction is a concise history of the ‘Great War’, focusing on why it happened, how it was fought, and why it had the consequences it did. ...
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The First World War: A Very Short Introduction is a concise history of the ‘Great War’, focusing on why it happened, how it was fought, and why it had the consequences it did. It examines the state of Europe in 1914 and the outbreak of war; the onset of attrition and crisis; the role of the USA; the collapse of Russia; and the weakening and eventual surrender of the Central Powers. It also investigates the historical controversies surrounding the causes and conduct of war, and describes how peace was ultimately made and the potent legacy of resentment left to Germany.Less

William Doyle

The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction shows that we are still living with the consequences of the French Revolution and explores its legacy in the form of ...
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The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction shows that we are still living with the consequences of the French Revolution and explores its legacy in the form of rationality in public affairs, responsible government, decimalization, and the ideology of human rights. There are many familiar images of the French Revolution, garnered from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, and long-lasting legends such as ‘let them eat cake’ and the tricolour. How did the revolution happen? Why did the revolutionaries quarrel with the king, the church and the rest of Europe? Why did this produce Terror? The revolution destroyed the age-old cultural, institutional, and social structures in France and beyond. In what ways did the ambitions of the French Revolution fail?Less